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Erase save data from any cartridge using Retron 5

Posted: December 12th, 2021, 8:46 pm
by euan
Sometimes when you buy a used cartridge it contains old save data from the previous owner. I usually like to erase it so I can start fresh, but some games don't have an option to delete the old data.

There are some tricks you can do to erase it, like desoldering the battery (if any) or turning the machine off when it's writing to the cartridge, but these can damage the cartridge if you're not careful.

I made an online tool that uses the Retron 5 to erase the save data in a way that's completely safe: https://savefileconverter.com/#/retron-5/erase-save

You just use the Retron 5 to copy the save data from the cartridge to an SD card (and make a backup copy if you want), use the tool above to convert the save into one that will wipe the data, overwrite the save on the SD card, and use the Retron 5 to copy the new save back to the cartridge.

If you have a different cartridge reader I also made a more generic version here: https://savefileconverter.com/#/utilities/erase-save

I hope you find this helpful and please let me know what you think!